IMAGINES ▹ ROSS BUTLER

↳ i'll be a better man today

( I'LL BE A BETTER MAN TODAY ) 
by thatgreysweatertho

Jughead didn't miss the way you determinedly ignored your boyfriend of almost nine months as you passed him in the hallway, at half eight Monday morning.

Greeting your best friend, he also noticed you didn't make eye contact with him. He watched you fumbling with the combination lock, eyes narrowed. Across the hall, Reggie Mantle, the aforementioned boyfriend, approached slowly. Jughead steeled himself for the usual barrage of insults - but they never came.

'Hey, (Y/N)?' He called your name softly, face downcast and eyes sad. You ignored him. Jughead frowned, confusion on his face. Reggie tried again to get your attention.

'(Y/N), can we talk, please?' His voice weighed with sorrow, even Jughead almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

'I have to get to class,' you finally spoke, slamming the locker shut with a loud clang, turning to Jughead and tugging him down the corridor. Leaving behind Reggie, who watched you walk away with a pain in his chest.

'Wanna tell me what that was about?' Jughead asked, stopping you with a hand on your elbow. You swallowed thickly, emotion welling up in your eyes, your throat tight. 'I broke up with Reggie last night,' you managed to get the words out with some semblance of strength; Jughead's eyes widened, surprise like ice-water, shocking him deeply. 'What? Why?'

'He's a bully, Jug,' you reminded him, sounding tired. 'And I can't - I don't want to be with someone like that,' you confessed, biting your lip in an effort to hold back the tears that stung in your eyes. Jughead's face softened; any other circumstances, he would have been glad that his best friend was away from the self-obsessed captain of the football team. However, he could see it in your face, how much you were hurting - and, to be fair to Reggie, even if he could he an ass, he was never anything but a loving, kind boyfriend to you.

'(Y/N)...' he started, feeling guilty, if you had broken not only Reggie's heart, but your own, for his sake... you immediately held up a hand to stop him. 'Jughead, no. I didn't do it because of you, I just ...' a heavy sigh followed before you continued, shaking your head. 'I can't be the girl who dates the asshole jock, anymore. Just because I lo-' you cut yourself off with a choked sound, and Jughead's arm immediately came to wrap around your shoulder, comfortingly. 'Just because I care about him, doesn't mean I can condone his actions.'

Jughead pulled you in for a proper hug then, squeezing you tightly. The affectionate gesture was all it took for the dam to burst. Suddenly, you were a sobbing wreck, head buried in the taller boys chest. He guided you to a empty classroom, and let you sit through the agonising heartbreak you felt deep inside.

**

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully. Reggie approached you a few more times, begging for a minute to talk. Each time, you turned your back and walked away. It was just too much to handle, seeing his face, eyes glazed and eyelashes clinging together with unshed tears. If you even looked at him, just once, you knew it would be the end of you. Veronica and Betty banded together, forming a human shield against your ex - Archie getting angry by the final bell and almost starting a fist fight. Jughead managed to calm him down; 'It'll only make (Y/N) feel worse.'
You wanted to protest; surely nothing could equal how this felt, to be so close to Reggie but so far away. You kept your mouth shut. You kept your eyes glued to the floor.

Even at home, you were granted no relief. He showed up at the front door, clutching a bouquet of daisies, your favourites. Your father answered, you lurking at the top of the stairs, just out of sight. You couldn't hear what they were saying, but after a moment, the door closed again. Sitting on the top step, your dad looked up to you, smiling sadly. He showed you the flowers, tied with a blue string. You fell apart again. A note was attached to the stem, and you took it to your room, the lingering scent of his familiar cologne lingering on the envelope.